Huskies pledge support for You Can Play project

The University of Connecticut men’s hockey team recently
unveiled their second video supporting You Can Play, an initiative
launched by Patrick Burke (Canton, Mass.) to put an end to
homophobia in hockey.

Goalie Garrett Bartus and the rest of the
Huskies recently filmed public service videos supporting the You
Can Play project. (Photo courtesy of UConn Athletics)

"We thought it was a great idea to show the community how we
feel about homosexuality in sports, and let people know that anyone
can play on our team," UConn captain Sean Ambrosie told the
Associated Press.

Since the program was launched this spring, over 100 athletes
have pledged their support. That included 50 NHL players, with
Bruins captain Zdeno Chara among
them.

The Huskies, however, are one of just eight squads to have
joined on as a group.

"When a whole team stands up to do something like this, that's
very important," said Burke, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers.
"For a young gay hockey player, who is looking for a place to play
hockey, he knows that UConn is an option, that he will be safe at
UConn, that he will be accepted at UConn."

Burke launched the program in memory of his brother, Brendan,
who died in a car accident in 2010, just months after making
headlines when he publicly came out while serving as student
manager for Miami’s men’s hockey team.

Burke stressed the importance of creating a safe environment for
gay teenagers and young adults when he spoke with New England
Hockey Journal back in
January.

“It’s staggering if you sit down and look at
it,” Burke said. “Sixty-four percent of gay teenagers
don’t feel safe in their schools. A gay teenager is three to
four times more likely to commit suicide than a straight teenager.
That should stop any adult, any coach and any teacher in their
tracks and make them realize that kids are dying.”

If a young, gay hockey player is looking for a place to play the
game, they’ll be welcomed at UConn with open arms.

“We will support any teammate, gay or straight, that can
help us win games,” goalie Garrett Bartus said in the
team’s first You Can Play video.

The Huskies also pledged their support to transgender athletes,
as the NCAA recently instituted a policy allowing a female-to-male
transgendered person that’s received a medical exception for
testosterone treatment to play on any men’s team.

"If they can play and help us win, I'm sure we'd get behind
him," Bartus said when asked about possibly playing alongside a
transgender teammate. "Nobody should be discriminated against.
That's really the whole point of this -- if you can play, you can
play."